ferzemkhan's review
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Pretty great Batgirl origin story with decent art, even if it's full of awful on-the-nose references to The Killing Joke, Oracle etc.
sunajung25's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
makennak's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cie_'s review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
magnetgrrl's review
5.0
The plot of Batgirl: Year One is entertaining and empowering. A young Barbara Gordon, inspired by her police commissioner father and feeling the need to do something more, decides to become a vigilante superhero a la Batman, after failing to break into the boys club of law enforcement. The characterization of young Barbara is complex and realistic, and story of how Babs becomes Batgirl is exciting and earnest.
The art is super slick, too - some of the cleanest lines and inking I've seen in comics lately. It's kind of reminiscent of Steve Rude with the heavy brushed lines. But more than just the surface style, the acrobatics Barbara Gordon performs look weighty and real for someone of her age and skill level - more realistic than some other superhero antics anyway.
There's some mild one-sided flirtation between Barbara and the then young Dick Grayson/Robin, which I know annoys some Dick fans, but it reads to me as an element of the story that is trying to show Barbara's frustration with being so completely in a boys' world. The one guy who's nice to her wants to get in her pants, and is also mostly flirting with her as part of his good cop/bad cop plot with Batman to manipulate her further. I also think it's meant to highlight Dick's familiar younger, more playful character - before the Nightwing days and even before he grew up and became more jaded. It sets the tone sort of for the era of the Batverse when the story is set.
There's a heartbreaking moment of foreshadowing near the end that kills me every time I read this. The whole series is pretty heavy with the foreshadowing actually; sometimes it's a nice touch and sometimes a bit much. But it's great to read a new story with the original Batgirl.
(This is a trade paperback that collects the nine issue miniseries.)
The art is super slick, too - some of the cleanest lines and inking I've seen in comics lately. It's kind of reminiscent of Steve Rude with the heavy brushed lines. But more than just the surface style, the acrobatics Barbara Gordon performs look weighty and real for someone of her age and skill level - more realistic than some other superhero antics anyway.
There's some mild one-sided flirtation between Barbara and the then young Dick Grayson/Robin, which I know annoys some Dick fans, but it reads to me as an element of the story that is trying to show Barbara's frustration with being so completely in a boys' world. The one guy who's nice to her wants to get in her pants, and is also mostly flirting with her as part of his good cop/bad cop plot with Batman to manipulate her further. I also think it's meant to highlight Dick's familiar younger, more playful character - before the Nightwing days and even before he grew up and became more jaded. It sets the tone sort of for the era of the Batverse when the story is set.
There's a heartbreaking moment of foreshadowing near the end that kills me every time I read this. The whole series is pretty heavy with the foreshadowing actually; sometimes it's a nice touch and sometimes a bit much. But it's great to read a new story with the original Batgirl.
(This is a trade paperback that collects the nine issue miniseries.)
amdame1's review
3.0
3.5 stars
i appreciated that the female costumes were not all about bosoms. Also liked that it was a complete intro to batgirl and how she came into being. Illustrations well done. Also liked how it showed her as real - made mistakes, etc.
i appreciated that the female costumes were not all about bosoms. Also liked that it was a complete intro to batgirl and how she came into being. Illustrations well done. Also liked how it showed her as real - made mistakes, etc.
samanthaa32's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up. This was solid, with nice art. I really like Babs and her little feud with the Bat. I just feel like more could have been done to develop her a little more?